All confiscated arms to be checked

The Nation August 19, 2014 1:00 am

A NATIONWIDE inspection of confiscated arms has been ordered after dozens of pistols were stolen from a storage facility at Bang-kok Military Court, Judge Advocate General Jira Komutpong said yesterday.

He reiterated that the stolen arms were not war-grade weapons but 46 handguns, of which 44 were to be destroyed. None were seized on the orders of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), he added.

Surveillance camera footage shows that no outsider entered the storage room and the existing security system had no loopholes, he said, adding that it was possible that officers on duty stole the guns.

The issue has been reported to the Office of the Permanent Secretary for Defence and should reach NCPO chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, Jira said.

Military officers have filed a complaint with Chana Songkhram police over the theft. Chana Songkhram's jurisdiction covers the Judge Advocate's office.

Flight Lieutenant Chinnapol Orrungroj, who oversees the storage room, is being detained by the Air Force while a search is under way to locate his assistant, Master Sgt Major First Class Somkiat Mayong.

The general said Somkiat - whose mobile phone signal was last detected yesterday in Nonthaburi - was key to determining if Chinnapol was behind the theft.